john elway the gm for manning, if they win i will be so happy for them. they are great guys. when everybody is going or one side that can only mean one thing? >> the underdog you have to go with. bill: the other team wins. seattle wins on sunday. >> that is his prediction. "happening now" starts right now. >> waiting to start off the show with broncos. jon: hemmer is so wrong. jenna: today's top headlines and stories you will only see here first. jon: start after beautiful frenchship? maybe, maybe not. a tough campaign ahead of this year's elections. amanda knox now again a convicted killer facing fight over extradition. will she ever see the inside of an italian prison again? we have your gameday forecast plus crazy bets vegas is taking, that makes everyone want to place a friendly wager.

it is all "happening now." jenna: speaking of acting friendly, let's work together. the new message from house republicans to the white house, even as they hone their anti-obamacare message for the midterm elections in november. hope you're having a great friday, everybody, i'm jenna lee. jon: i'm jon scott. republicans are apparently getting together to work with the president on other business. party leaders sent him a letter challenging him to work toward common ground. the president addressing criticism of the state. union promise not to use, i'm sorry promise to use executive orders. >> i don't think that is very serious. the truth of the matter is, every president engage most executive actions. in fact we've been very disciplined and sparing and, you know i think it's a tough argument for the other side to make that not only are they willing to do, not do anything,

but they also want me not to do anything. jon: republican leaders at the party's annual retreat this week perhaps signaling some willingness to work together. listen. >> this is our opportunity as republicans to come together here at the beginning of the year an talk about 2014. we heard the president say that this should be a year of action. jon: and one issue in particular that might find the two parties working together is immigration reform with both sides very aware of the growing latino voting bloc. >> been turned into a political football. i think it is unfair. so i think it is time to deal with it. but how we deal with it is going to be critically important. you know, it is one thing to pass a law. it is another thing to have the confidence of the american people behind that law as you're passing it. that's why doing immigration reform in a common sense, step by step manner, helps our

members understand the bite-sized pieces. it helps our constituents build more confidence that what we're doing makes sense. jon: at the same time republicans appear to be crafting a message on obamacare that could play a big part in the 2014 election. here it is. >> i think in order to maximize our area, it is important that we show the american people that we're not just the opposition party, we're actually the alternative party. we still believe that obamacare is not good for the american people. it is not good for our constituents. it is raising costs, pushing people out of the health insurance business. they're losing their doctors, they're losing their access to quality care and there have to be, in our view, a better way forward. so we'll have the conversation about what that alternative looks like and decisions about how we would deal with it. jon: let's talk about it with monica crowley, author, radio talk show host and fox news

contributor. richard fowler, is host of the richard fowler show. welcome to both of you on this friday morning. >> hi, jon. >> hi, jon. jon: monica, peace breaking out all over? >> not quite, jon, not quite. the republicans have a couple of things they're dealing with in this retreat and they have a lot of internal divisions particularly on immigration and how to handle that. one thing they're doing right is handling of obamacare. they were totally united opposing it when the democrats and the president were ramming it through. miraculously for a party known to be something of a hot mess, the republicans last couple years stayed united in their opposition to it. what they say, look we've been talking about alternatives to socialized medicine for years, but for whatever reason they can't punch through the media, but for whatever reason we haven't been able to speak with one voice. what they're doing is what senator tom coburn and senator orrin hatch put together and presented this week so they can

speak about market-based and patient-centered alternatives to obamacare with a unified voice on that going forward. jon: monica, let me stick with you and go to rich for a second. democrats are on the run, vulnerable and poised for defeat. if that case why are republicans are feeling forced to negotiate at all? >> not on obama care but immigration. that is part of what i wrote. republican party has earned a moniker the stupid party and if they go forward with immigration that will be one of stupid moves of all time. the signature obamacare is in collapse. american people hate it. president's poll numbers, the democratic party's poll numbers are in collapse. republican on generic ballot moving ahead of democrats. they are poised to work this going into november to have democrats experience a major defeat. why would they take on

immigration which is so highly polarizing and so divisive within their own party. never mind not popular with the american people. jon: richard has been so kind to be silent to this point. i'm sure you have a few thoughts on this. what about it, immigration reform good for the country, good for republicans. >> i agree with mom can, the republican party is in hot mess, they had four, four count them, four different responses that all said different things to the state of the union address. let's talk about immigration for just a second. the republican party knows and understand, we waited too long for immigration reform. now is the to time to get it done. they're under pressure from folks on party but under pressure from emerging electorate, late teen mow voters, asian americans, say we want immigration reform and want it now. the truth of the matter what the president proposed in state of the union address are bipartisan ideas. george bush raised minimum wage. ronald reagan passed comprehensive immigration

reform. george bush passed transportation bill. the republican party has not got init done and reaping pruitt fruits their labor. the american people understand that the republican party is not ready to lead. jon: when ronald reagan signed i ammy graduation acts in 1986 there were.7 little hail yens covered. now we have 11 million illegal aliens by most estimates and that was supposed to be act that ended illegal immigration. >> you're completely right. america is city on hill and exceptional nation and -- they want the chance for american dream. many americans we're talking about, they went to our high schools. went to our elementary schools. serve in our military and they are functionally americans. they deserve the right to be citizens they pledge allegiance to the flag too. it is pretty simple. >> richard you're right. you're process in place, legal immigration. >> that process doesn't work.

>> whose fault is that. both parties. >> but the democratic party proposed solutions multiple times and republicans don't want to vote on it. they want to vote to repeal obamacare 47 times. >> we're conflating two different issues. nobody says that immigration doesn't need reform. the issue how do you go about it. the number one issue for american people, is enforcing border first. then you can talk about other issues. >> wait a second, monica. those things are not mutually exclusive. can have more border security allowing 11 million people living in the shadows to come out of the shadows. those things, democrats agree. chuck schumer agrees on that particular point. folks in the house of representatives can't get it done. jon: perhaps viewers are getting some sense why it is so difficult for republicans and democrats to come together on this issue. thank you both for being with us. richard fowler, monica crowley, we'll have you on again. >> thank you. jenna: another big story today, amanda knox speaking out after an italian court found her

guilty of murder for the second time. knox and her family are saying they are shocked that the court reinstate ad 2009 verdict against her and her former boyfriend. prosecutors say they killed knox's roommate in 2007 in a sex game gone wrong. knox vowing to fight the latest ruling. >> i will never go willingly back to the place where i, i'm going to fight this until the very end and, and it's not right and it's not fair and, and i'm going to do everything i can. granted i need a lot of help. i, i can't do this on my own and i can't help people understand this on my own. jenna: amanda knox this morning less than 24 hours since that ruling. the family of her dead roommate, british student meredith kercher reacting to the guilty verdict.

>> the verdict has been upheld. and again this time, so we hope obviously come the end of the trial, we're nearer to the truth and an end so we can just so people remember meredith who she was and draw a line under it as it where. jenna: its not over yet. jonathan hunt with more. >> reporter: it was emotional amanda knox on "good morning america" today, seemingly stunned at this second guilty verdict. obviously very frightened at the possible extradition of her to italy and once again, saying that she was not involved in the murder of meredith kercher. listen here. >> i really hope that people try to understand that, like when you have overzealous prosecutors and when you have a biased, biased investigation and coercive interrogations like these things happened and i'm not, i'm not crazy.

it just, it puts you in a position where you feel like -- >> reporter: knox has said that she would have be quote, dragged, kicking and screaming back to italy to face justice and that 28-year prison term there. the family of meredith kercher, and her brother and sister, lyle and stephanie were in court to hear the verdict and they talked again today about their views on extradition here. >> i imagine if it's a difficult process and if the country such as the u.s. didn't choose to, you know, go along with laws they themselves uphold extraditing convicted criminals from other countries probably leaves them in a change position not to. >> reporter: interesting developments today. two with amanda knox's ex-boyfriend and also found guilty of murder a second time. raffaele sollecito, he was

discovered in by police in a italian hotel six miles from the border in austria. he was taken into police custody. his passport was seized. he is later released pending what will be a final verdict from the italian supreme court. we're not expecting to get that for another year at least. only then as we understand it, are the italian authorities likely to decide whether they will seek amanda knox's extradition from the united states. another 12 months to go. jenna: a lot of questions about this coming up with a legal panel. certainly more to talk about. jonathan, thank you. >> reporter: sure. jon: has the whole country talking. as does this. fox weather alert, more winter weather slamming the midwest. snowy conditions across wisconsin making driving dangerous there. look at green bay. drivers forced to navigate with extreme caution. apparently this one didn't get the job done. here is what several inches of snow can do. multiple accidents, forcing shut down of a section of this

highway for a short time. in michigan, subzero temperatures causing big problems in this community. a water main break freezing cars to the ground. here on the east coast, we are getting ready for the big became in new jersey on sunday but how cold will it be at kickoff? meteorologist maria molina in the fox extreme weather center for us now. maria? >> hey, jon, we have amazing news for everyone along portions of the northeast and even down into the southeast. we'll see a big warm-up, with temperatures actually being well above average for this time of the year. that is a big relief. everyone was so worried what the weather would be like for sunday especially the super bowl, this big event. everything is good. dry conditions, winds out of the west, generally light, 10 to 15 miles per hour. we could see them pick up a little bit towards 20 miles an hour towards the end of the game. those temperatures, very, very warm. the high temperature on sunday could actually be 5degrees. just shy of 50 degrees.

by kickoff we'll be in the low 40s and windchills could be in the upper 30s. that could be something to enjoy if you're headed to game. on sunday, not super bowl sunday but groundhog day. we'll talk a little cooler. windchills in the low 30s and a little bit of wintry mix expected there as we kick off the morning 7:20 a.m., phil comes out and we will see what he predictions additional six weeks of winter or not. jon: you made a prediction. broncos 47-, seahawks, 43. >> i'm wearing broncos colors. go broncos. back to you. jon: i appreciate that. she comes from miami which is also an afc town. jenna: you're just so excited. jon: i know. jenna: you can't help yourself. you're recruiting people along the way. you have me rooting for the broncos. right, the whole crew, also rooting for the broncos. jon: i'm such a dolt i didn't wear a broncos tie today.

jenna: we'll see what happens monday. ukraine's embattled president signing a new law that would grant clemency to protesters. why many are rejecting it. and justin bieber's legal woes at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons people are saying "progress-oh!" share your progress-oh! story on progresso.com.

jon: right now new developments in some international stories we're following. syria's foreign minister announces he won't yet commit to resuming peace talks in geneva. the group, friends of syria, blaming the government for a lack of progress during the first round. awe crain's president signing amnesty for detained demonstrators into law and repealing anti-protest legislation. many protesters reject the bill with the requirement that activists leave occupied buildings. australia pushes ahead with a controversial policy reducing shark attacks and catching and releasing two sharks off the west coast, deeming them too small to be a threat. seven people were killed by sharks there over the last three years.

jenna: now time for the fox 411. new information on justin bieber's legal troubles as a united states senator weighs in. florida republican marco rubio, offering the beebs some fatherly advice. in the meantime there's a new report that might put the brakes on the claim he was drag racing in florida, rubio's home state. julie banderas has the details now. >> justin bieber is such a dolt. that is the word of the day. i'm quoting your buddy jon scott, word of the day, dolt. jon: appropriate. >> from tongue wagging twerkers to politicians seems justin bieber is the topic of covers everywhere these days. bieber's third run-in in the law in one month the latest occurring wednesday night after bieber turned himself into police in toronto to face assault charges. un"beliebers" filed a petition, you might have heard this, to deport bieber to his native canada and revoke his green card. the petition topped more than 100,000 signatures and getting

attention in washington. even florida senator marco rubio chiming in to "tmz." >> we got big issues here in washington to deal with. last thing we need to deal with is some 19-year-old pop star. little bit i read and heard he has a lot of problems. >> okay. >> a lot of problems, personal. i hope he gets help for it or he will wind up in a bad, bad place. >> doesn't have time to talk about that. washington has enough of its own problems. anyway, miley cyrus who had her own fair share of criticism in the public eye doesn't feel sorry for her fellow pop star. here she is on "the tonight show" with jay leno last night you. >> know what? you got a lot of money. pay people to make sure you don't get in trouble and party at your house. buy a house and add a club to it. >> and that is wisdom, folks. there is also more information coming out after bieber's drunken driving drag racing arrest in miami last week. not only have we learned bieber tested positive for xanax and marijuana in a urine test, "tmz"

obtained gps records from the rented lamborghini bieber was driving show there is no evidence of drag ratings. cops claimed they were drag ratings at speed up to 60 miles per hour when they stopped but the gps on just tip's cartel as different story showing maximum speed of 44 miles per hour. this could present big problems for prosecutors, if the pretext for stopping bieber's car proves false the case could be derailed. we'll have to stay tuned for that. what a dolt. jenna: challenge, jon, word of the day. >> no he is a real dolt. jon: he is maybe misunderstood kid? jenna: 44 in a 15 mile-per-hour zone? >> i don't know. if they find out that he actually was not drag racing, the whole reason for pulling him over sort of throws the case off. jon: the gps may tell all. thanks, julie. >> yep. jon: two new studies looking at america's battle with the bulge calling obesity a disease to determining your future weight

as a child. our medical panel has thoughts on all that. the royal crash crisis? have you heard about this? calls to put buckingham palace on a spending diet? say it ain't so. pgpg

jenna: well, two flue studies looking at our expanding waistlines as nation. naming obesity as a disease might be counterproductive according to one study and instead of helping people it might hurt them and negatively impact their choices as they move forward in their life. another study suggest that is your weight fate might be determine mid-kindergarten. how much you weigh in kindergarten may determine how much you will weigh in the 8th grade. is it true? let's bring in a pediatrician and child obesity specialist and

brian russell, a clinical school exist. nice to have you both. a real interesting group of studies here to bring them together. brian, let me start with you. one in three people in this country are obese and it was a big deal when obesity was labeled as a disease but this study shows perhaps it is making people that have been labeled obese, instead of 'em powering them to do something about it, it is actually allowing them or inspiring them or motivating them to make worse choices. how do you see that as a school exist? why would that be happening? >> well, jenna, when we use words like disease to describe behavioral problems like obesity, we are serving up excuses on a proverbial silver platter to people. we are absolving people of personal responsibility and maintaining healthy weight in life is all about personal responsibility. when you tell somebody that they have a disease or that their child has a disease, they tend

to take less ownership of both the creation of that problem and fixing of that problem. jenna: doctor, do you agree or disagree with that. >> i disagree with that. people like to fight diseases, that is number one. and number two, obese individuals are metabolically different than normal weight individuals. jenna: let me ask you about that. are they different because of the choices that they made that made them overweight, or are they different when they start off in life and that's why it is easier for them to become overweight. >> they're different when they start off in life. we see that at kindergarten they're already on a path to obesity for their life, their whole life. if you take a thin individual who was once obese, their metabolism is much lower than a naturally-thin individual. so there is something different going on inside of them. jenna: brian, weigh in a little bit more on this. take it one step further. as well, because, the question

then becomes, what, how do we take this issue seriously? those that supported obesity being labeled as a disease, so this what we need. we need doctors attention. you can't just brush off people and say, well, you're not making the right choice, too bad. does that help to label it a disease so people do take it seriously enough so that it gets the tanks that it deserves? >> jenna, i don't think it is helpful to anybody to label obesity a disease. now, yes, there are people who have different physicianology and it is harder for some people than others to regulate their calorie intake. certainly children don't have the responsibility to do that which is why parents have to take that responsibility for them. it is immutable law of fist i can, jenna, no way mass can make it on to the human body unless it first owners that body as food through the mouth soft regulation of intake of food, making sure that the person is taking in as many or fewer

calories than they're burn something, 100% of the cases the way to control a person's weight. jenna: dr. joe nan, what about this other study in the "new england journal of medicine", by the time, if you're already obese the time five, the chances of you being overweight as 8th grader, they call it weight fate, is that physician clogally true? >> no, it is. they have done studies that five-year-olds can have at they are row sclerosis or thickening of arteries at that age. some parents put their kids on chicken mcnugget diet. you can't do that predicting heavyweight for entire life. kids don't grow out of baby weight anymore. if you have a toddler that is overweight pay attention to what they're eating. a thin individual and someone genetically obese, can eat same amount of food and one won't. it's a disease process but a

disease that can be fought and overcome. jenna: very interesting. doctor joanna, and brian, thanks for the props. nice to have the silver platter so we can see it. have a great day, guys. >> thank you. jon: well the president is keeping up his post-state of the union pr blitz. we're awaiting remarks from mr. obama right now on long-term unemployment but even as he tries to win over the public, where's the mainstream media coming down on all this? our panel takes a look. plus as atlanta gets back on its feet after a storm that crippled the city, we'll tell you who georgia's governor is blaming for all the chaos.

jenna: still to come this hour the president pushing his state of the union agenda. is the media buying his message? a question we'll pose to the panel. amanda knox commenting on the italian court's murder conviction. many residents are furious who is to blame and can authorities keep it from happening next time atlanta gets a little bit of snow? we'll get you updated. jon: right now, we're waiting to hear from president obama. he will speak on long-term unemployment. he has been hitting the road hard since laying out his agenda in the state of the union address when he vowed to go it alone if congress would not work with him. part of the effort to energize

voters and cement his legacy now signs that the mainstream media might no longer be buying into his message. check out this headline from this morning a's "new york times." economy is expanding but obama's legacy may be slip aig way. judith miller is pulitzer prize-winning investigative reporter, author and fox news contributor. kirsten powers, columnist for "usa today" and fox news contributor. he has three years left in office, kirsten. is the legacy slipping away? >> i think the point of this article while the economy does look like it is finally turning around the president is at a point where it is probably not going to turn around enough by the time that he leaves. so you know, it is turning around but i think most americans would probably say right now they don't feel that. they don't really feel the economy is doing that well. by the time people start feeling it and there starts being great numbers versus solid numbers

coming out, obama will be out of office. there isn't enough time probably for the economy to rebound at the levels you would have seen under his predecessors. jon: i wonder about the thing he will talk about any minute now, judy, the extension of unemployment benefits. 99 weeks people have been able to collect unemployment benefits for. it is kind of one of the hallmarks of his administration, this unemployment crisis we've had. >> yes it is. but, i think most people do understand that president obama took over after the worst downturn since the great depression and that of course he pivoted to health care rather than focusing on all of his efforts on reviving and doing everything he could just for the economy. we did have a large stimulus package but this has been a very slow recovery. much slower than that of president clinton and president bush. so we have, we have a real problem. he has a real challenge. and i think he knows that and that is why the state of the

union was so overwhelmingly focused in the direction of the economy and doing things on his own if congress won't do it with him. jon: kirsten, this president inherit ad rough economy. president clinton did as well. president bush 43 did as well. and the performance of the economies under those two presidents have been than they have been under president obama. is that a fair comparison? should the media making that point? >> i actually don't think it was a fair comparison and it was a comparison in the article you raised earlier because while they did inherit bad economies you can't compare to what president obama inherited. if we think back to the end of 2008, you have the banking system collapsing. that is entirely different thing than recession. recessions are sear rushes and real problems but it is not what he was dealing with. he was dealing with, we were on the brink. we could have gone over the cliff. i think, that what, sort of the,

sort of collapse that we saw has a very different recovery than you have have from a normal recession. it was always going to take a long time. i think the president would have been wiser to let people know that than make them think this could be fixed quickly because it never could have been fixed quickly. it would always take a long time. jon: what about judy's point, he pivoted to health care right away and spent a little more time to do things to get the economy back on its feet? >> i think that is fair criticism. i supported the affordable care act. i supported health care reform. i said at the time i thought there were other things that he should have focused on. he used all of his political capital to get that done and perhaps used it on things that could have spurred the economy and you know, what is done is done. there is no going back but that's where we are. jon: right. judy, republicans many of them complained that the affordable care act hurts the economy and is doing exactly the opposite of

what the president should want to accomplish. you know especially as we're talking about legacy here? >> i know, jon. just as kirsten was say, if you do this pivot, if you do pivot to health care and you screw up the implementation of it, you have a big problem because you have a drop in confidence among the american people and that that's what we've seen. we have by the way, jon, increasing skepticism finally, by the media, the mainstream media because they feel obama has done his own pr, doesn't need us. and people in the media tend to resent that being the kind of egomaniacs many of us tend to be. jon: all right. we are, we're going to wrap this up now. kirsten powers, judy miller, thank you both. you can watch the president's remarks in their entirety streaming online at foxnews.com. jenna: well we certainly all saw the pictures this week. i see a vehicles in atlanta and

thousands of people stranded on icy highways for hours. yesterday the roads were finally cleared and now georgia's governor is taking the blame. jonathan serrie live in atlanta with more on this. jonathan? >> reporter: hi, jenna, as you see behind me traffic is back to normal on atlanta's downtown connector but state officials are facing some tough questions of their handling of tuesday's snowstorm. listen. >> i accept responsibility for the factid not make preparation early enough to avoid these consequences. as a parent i certainly understand how someone would feel if their child was either on a school bus or at a school and unable to come back home. >> reporter: the national weather service issued a winter storm warning at 3:40 a.m. tuesday. but state officials say no one informed the governor until he came into work during normal business hours. by then people were on the way to work and school. when heavy snow started falling

midday, everyone tried to return home at the same time, causing huge traffic bottlenecks as the highways iced over. the director of the georgia emergency management agency or gema, admits he made, quote, a terrible error in judgment. listen. >> we get constant weather information and i have to make decisions based on that weather information. whether it is warnings, whether it is watches, whether it is special statements, whether regardless of the situation and i got this one wrong. i got it wrong by at least six hours. >> reporter: in the future, georgia state officials say they will be more proactive, even when there's a possibility of snow but on the flip side, they warn, this there will be times they issue warnings, tell people to stay at home, and then the snow never arrives. jenna. jenna: jonathan serrie, live in atlanta, thank you. jon: amanda knox saying she will not willing return to italy this

after an italian court found her guilty of murder again. can she avoid going back? our legal panel takes up the issue. and what a new survey on obamacare reveals about doctors and their patients. the day we rescued riley was a truly amazing day.

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>> and finally, like, i'm going through waves of emotion in response to it. may first reaction was, no, this is wrong and i'm going to do everything i can to prove that it is. and i felt very determined and my family felt very determined. jenna: well an emotional amanda knox reacting to an italian court's guilty verdict against her and her former boyfriend in the murder of her roommate meredith kercher in 2007. the question now is, will amanda

knox ever see the inside of an italian prison? is she headed to italy. >> we have a former prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. that is big question, dan. what happens next now for amanda? >> it's a complicated process. first the supreme court has to review the verdict. then amanda knox gets an appeal. if it is confirmed and on appeal then there will be extradition request from the united states. will the state department recommend expedition to the justice department, tomorrow. will the question whether she was tried once and found not guilty and tried again, not guilty will that count as double jeopardy on our laws. we do have extradition treaty with italy. this is complicated process going forward. jenna: john, i'm curious on the thoughts of the legal process going on. from your legal perspective what do you make of it? >> well i find it very interesting because the issue in this case in order for to us determine whether or not there is double jeopardy whether there was in fact a finality of

judgment. what i mean by that jenna, in the united states, if you're ayeted by jury of your pierce, there peers finality of judgement, you can't be prosecuted again, that would be double jeopardy. in amanda knox case she was found guilty to be overturned by the appellate court. there is not finality of justice that could give the department of justice legal sufficiency to send amanda knox to italy and do it for political reasons and honor article 6 of the bilateral treaty of 1983 remains to be seen. jenna: i would love to get into the politics of it, dan. it is interesting process. she is found guilty. acquitted. she is found not guilty. is it possible for her to get a fair trial? those that think she is guilty say there was evidence in the first trial. it was shown. that is the real verdict. of course there are those that say, no, the system is not just what it is here. there is a little bit of that, about the italian court system and there's a big question of

whether or not it is sufficient. >> right. there have been problems with this prosecution from the beginning. she was found guilty in the first trial and one of the biggest pieces of information that the prosecution used was dna on a knife that was later found to not really show the dna said it showed. she was found not guilty in the second trial. in the third try, the judge has 90 days from yesterday to issue a detailed ruling on basis for the conviction. that will be very interesting where they spell out the reasons for finding her guilty. she can appeal. there is clearly problems in the whole process from the beginning. >> one wonders how they weigh in. jon, on the politics there is a person that the united states wants extradited back to the united states and that is edward snowden who is in russia and we've been asking for it. >> exactly. jenna: do you think the politics of all this and wanting to set a good example could put pressure, if she is found guilty, once and for all by the supreme court in italy, to extradite her? >> well, sure. i mean right now, edward snowden, like you said, jenna, is a hot button but the question

whether this will be hot button issue years from now. the appeal will not be filed until 2015. who knows what will happen with the snowden issue and whether or not we give up amanda knox. that remains to be seen. jenna: what do you think they will do coming down to it and if she is found guilty again? do you think she goes? >> based on popular opinion, most americans feel sympathy. there is not enough evidence in this case like mr. shore said. i think she has a lot of political backing behind her and i would say probably not. jenna: john, dan, great to have you both weigh in on the topic. thank you so much. >> thank you, jenna. jon: will take a while before we get the answers in that case, right? if it is happening on super bowl sunday you can probably place a bet on it from the office pools to wild and whacky things people bet on before the big game. we'll get into that. plus, god save the queen's bank account. is the house of windsor going broke? a stunning new report will take you live across the pond.

that's next. ♪

jon: put buckingham palace on a budget. that is what a new report from the british parliament is suggesting. the royal family apparently overspent by a whopping $4 million last year, draining their savings and now they are slowly running out of royal pounds. amy kellogg live in our london bureau with a look at that amy? >> reporter: hi, jon, just because your face is on the bank notes doesn't mean you can spend as many of them as you want. to be fair, not like the queen

and company kept to a budget every year and suddenly just slipped. there has been a change in their funding. they get a lump sum grant now. parliament for the first time is able to take a look and found that the queen and company are in the red. >> we don't think the queen is as well-served as she should be by the royal household. and by the u.k. treasury. so they're spending more than they're getting in. they're dipping into their reserves and the reserves are down to a million pound. about 1 1/2 million dollars. >> reporter: so parliament is blaming the bean counters here, not the queen specifically. she gets a grant of about $50 million a year and her household went over that by $4 million last year. another important finding of this, study is that 40% of the queen's estates are in pretty serious need of repair. buckets are collecting water that looks through roofs in some properties. boilers are 60 years old. the heating bills come to over a million dollars a year. now the palace says they did do

a review in december of all of this. they're aware of the repairs that need to be done and they will get to them but parliament complains they have left some national treasures at real risk because of this. another recommendation, jon, is that the palace should open up its doors more often to visitors. they claim they started doing more of that and there are costs associated with doing that as well. it is not all that straightforward. but i don't think you should plan, jon, hosting a personal swore ray there anytime soon. >> i would not like to have parliament laying open my finances. i would just, i feel sorry for the queen. jenna: you prefer the irs? jon: well, there is that. mamie kellogg, keep an eye on it for us. thank you. jenna: there is always somebody out there. jon: there is. jenna: the clock is winding down for placing super bowl bets. in addition to putting your money who will win, sports books are offering whacky bets for fans looking to ad a little flavor to the gambling if that's

your thing. for instance you can bet how many times broncos quarterback peyton manning will yell omaha, what do you think, jon? jon: 27. jenna: over and under, 27.5. how many times you hear the term, beast mode. that is nickname of seahawks running back marshawn lynch. there is over and under. who you first see on tv after kickoff, that is something you bet on. erin andrews, pal oliver. odds right now strongly favor erin but you never know. jon: i didn't look at your copy. i just guessed 27. i did. >> is there logic to that? jon: no, i made it up. i really didn't look. that's true. >> must be good luck somewhere along the line. jon: i hope so. i hope so. speaking of the super bowl, broncos receiver wes welker will support a new helmet after yet another concussion. could it offer better protection. will it offer your kids better protection? we'll get into more on that.

president obama signing an order to create new retirement accounts. will it help americans save enough for their golden years? does the president actually have authority to set this thing up? that is another issue. more ahead with "happening now."

jon: right now today's top headlines and brand new stories you'll see here first. new feedback from doctors and everyday americans on obamacare, and it's not good news for the president's signature program. we'll break out all down for you. plus, we're awaiting a brand new report on the keystone pipeline that could bring thousands more american jobs. why some new information could take the steam out of pipeline critics. and a football helmet of the future makes its debut. can it protect players from brain injuries? it's all "happening now." ♪ ♪ jon: well, republicans want to show a united front in 2014 promising alternatives to get washington and the country headed in the right direction,

they say. hello to you, i'm jon scott. jenna: hi, everybody, hope you're off to a great friday, i'm jenna lee, and today is the final day of a house gop retreat in maryland, unveiling their principles for immigration reform. topping the list, tightened border security and overhauling our nation's visa system, but including a way for illegal immigrants to remain here legally. this question about that is leading some to wonder whether all republicans will support the plan. our chief congressional correspondent, mike emanuel, is live on capitol hill with more on this. how heavy of a lift is immigration reform going to be for house republicans? >> reporter: jenna, there's no question it is going to be a challenge. house speaker john boehner told us earlier the this week at an off-camera setting that he's going to need republicans and some democrats to get this done. at this point some house republicans are saying they are willing to listen. >> well, i mean, that's something that we're having a discussion on this week, and i

think, you know, you're going to have all kinds of varied opinions, so we'll see what the final result is. a lot of people understand we have to address this in some way and whether that's a so-called path to citizenship will remain to be seen. >> reporter: chuck schumer sounded encouraged late yesterday saying while these standards are certainly not everything we would agree with, they leave a real possibility republicans and democrats can pass immigration reform both sides can accept. of course, schumer was a key player on the senate negotiations over immigration reform, jenna. jenna: a lot to watch on that topic. the other big topic, of course, is health care. and the republicans would like to replace obamacare, but the question is how are they looking to do that, mike? >> reporter: that's right. speaker boehner would like to present a unified republican plan in the house of representatives. there have been multiple options out there. at this point they've just got principles. let's take a look at them. insuring availability of health care options all can afford,

provide americans access to and choice of care options and doctors they want, give incentive and enable more. doctors to practice medicine. house speaker john boehner says they're trying to find a house gop option all support. >> we've got other bills that have been introduced over the last year by various members of our conference. so we're going to have a conversation today about the way forward on obamacare. we still believe that obamacare is not good for the american people, it's not good for our constituents. >> reporter: to be clear, replacing obamacare would be the easy lift with house republicans. immigration reform will be more challenging. jenna? jenna: mike, thank you. >> reporter: thank you. jon: well, a new poll about obamacare reveals most americans don't even know that the exchange rollout has begun. also revealing that opposition to the law seems to be growing. the kaiser family foundation poll finds 50% of americans have an unfavorable opinion of obamacare compared to just 34%

who view it favorably. joining me now, dan henninger, deputy editorial page editor for "the wall street journal." that 50% unfavorable number, that's the highest the kaiser poll has seen since 2011, dan. this thing seems to be getting more unpopular as it goes along. >> well, i think that probably is happening, jon, because people are finding out more about it or they're getting more exposure to it. and, you know, the single thing that's been reported most is that some of the young and uninsured who are being drawn into the system are being struck by the sticker shock. the premiums are a lot higher than they expected them to be. and then they start asking why are my premiums so high, and what they're essentially finding out is that obamacare is fundamentally a health insurance welfare program. their premiums have to be high so that the system can afford to pay for the health care for the sicker people coming into the system. it's a subsidy.

and i think this is one reason they're pushing back against it. they didn't understand what they were getting into was a program in which their high premiums would subsidize other people rather than pay for their own health care, which is the way most people think health insurance works. so i think the details of obamacare are striking the american people as a kind of agreement that they didn't think they were going to have to participate in, and they don't like the terms of the deal. and so the numbers are turning against it. jon: well, the kaiser poll also asked an interesting question. it asked people how they think obamacare has affected uninsured, the uninsured in this country. you know, that was the population that the program was designed to fix. well, 50% of those responding think the uninsured are worse off than they were before, only 34% think they are better off, and 16% say no difference. i mean, that's a pretty uncomfortable number, i guess,

if you're at the white house having upset the apple cart of the health insurance system to try to cover the uninsured. >> well, you know, one of the other big problems they've had, jon, is the fact that, let's face it, the one place that most americans got their information generally about this plan was from the president himself. while they were passing it, he was the one who would give speeches, and he routinely said -- the most famous line perhaps attached to him, and the plan is if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. if you like your insurance plan, you can keep your insurance plan. well, we now know that that was false, and many of the people becoming involved with these health care exchanges are being told that they cannot keep their doctors, their doctors are not in the exchanges, and in some places their hospitals that they used to go to are not in the exchanges. and this was not the deal they thought they were getting into. and i think many people thought it was going to be about only

insuring the uninsured, not individuals who already had health insurance policies that are now being canceled. so the disruptions that obamacare is causing out there in the general health insurance marketplace, i think, has caused, a, a lot of confusion and, b, a lot of pushback. and they're going to have a very hard sell going forward the more people become involved with it, jon. jon: so the headline in "the washington post" be, americans don't know what's in obamacare, do know they don't like it. that pretty well sums it up? >> yeah. i think the bad news is the more they find out, the less they like it. and this is a direct threat to the program's long-term health. i mean, it's basically a payment system. it's an insurance system. and one way or another, they need to drive these people -- which i call obamacare resisters -- into the plan to pay for the sicker people in the plan. if they don't succeed in doing that, then the obamacare plan is going to go into what we famously call a death spiral.

the insurance policy premiums will not support the payments that the plans are going to have to make. jon: yeahment i'm just putting on the screen a graphic that we corrected, because we had the wrong numbers up earlier in the segment, dan. they asked uninsured respondents whether obamacare or how obamacare has affected them, basically the uninsured. 39% say they are worse off, 26% said they are better off, no difference the number was 29%. that according to the kaiser health tracking poll. >> i think a lot of people think maybe the plan is a threat to the insurance they've already got. you know, there was not a lot of dissatisfaction out there in the health insurance marketplace. there may have been dissatisfaction with individual experiences people have at hospitals, but by and large people kind of liked their insurance. and some of them at the margins aring with told by their employers our plan no longer complies with the mandates, i

have to put you into the exchange, or we have to go into a new plan that may not be as comprehensive as the one they had. and so gradually people who were pretty well satisfied with the insurance they've got are being exposed to obamacare and deciding that it's just not the promise that was made to them. jon: and it seems like mr. obama is getting the blame for a lot of that. >> indeed. jon: daniel henninger from "the wall street journal," thank you. >> thank you, jon. jenna: we're talking confusion over the new health care law. you're certainly not alone, a new survey finds 84% of physicians say they don't have enough information about the law to seven as a resource for their patients -- to serve as a resource for their patients. kate rogers joins us with more on that. >> yes, that's right. many americans are trying to figure out the change that is the affordable care act has brought about, but doctors are also confused about the mandates included. a new poll finds 84% of practicing physicians say that

they just don't have enough information about the aca to be a reliable resource for their patients. and what's more, these docs say they don't have enough information to understand how the reform law impacts their practice or to comply with its requirements. these findings are important as many patients turn to their doctors for answers about their own health insurance. the survey, which has been tracking doctors' attitudes toward obamacare since 2012, also finds physicians felt left out of the reform conversation by lawmakers. some also said they didn't have a full understanding of how health insurance exchanges operate. and this may be because these doctors don't believe there's clear sources of information out there. the poll finds 35% of docs said that there's no reliable breakdown of the ins and outs of obamacare and that 75% said they would use a fact sheet produced by the department of health and human services if one existed. since open enrollment kicked off on october 1st, more than three million people have selected plans on both state and federal

exchanges. and we all know under the aca every individual has to have insurance by the end of open enrollment period, or they're going to face that fine of $95 a year or 1% of their income for failing to comply. jenna: kate, thank you. jon: we are awaiting a new report on the environmental impact of the proposed keystone pipeline project. you probably know it would transport oil from canada into the united states. sources tell fox news the state department's long-anticipated findings likely will disappoint critics who argue the project would be detrimental to the environment. doug mckelway has that live from washington now. doug? >> reporter: that's right, jon. there are a number of developments in recent days which seem to suggest, seem to suggest that the administration may be leaning towards ultimate approval of the keystone xl pipeline in the coming months. consider, for example, today's release of the final environmental impact statement by the state department. if it happens as we have been told it probably will, it will

be happening late on a friday afternoon when you typically release very controversial news. and this will, indeed, be very controversial to a core obama constituency, environmentalists. listen to what the head of the sierra club had to say in the aftermath of the state of the union address. quoting now: it's good to hear president obama plans to move forward with this plan to address climate change, but unfortunately, his administration comets to undermine in this plan by encouraging the extraction of coal, oil and gas from our public lands and waters, unlocking huge quantities of carbon pollution. even president obama, though, in his 19 -- 2012 visit to oklahoma gave a full endorsement of the southern leg of the keystone xl pipeline. here he was in 2012. >> i've come to cushing, an oil town -- [cheers and applause] because producing more oil and gas here at omahas -- at home has been and will continue to be a critical apart of the all of

the above energy strategy. >> reporter: also this week the national transportation safety board and the transportation safety board of canada issued a rare joint statement calling on their respective governments to issue new safety rules when it comes to the transportation of freight trains carrying oil. we've already seen major losses of life from such derailments, this unwith as you see -- one as you see last year in quebec. there's growing pressure to build a spur to the bakken oil field in north dakota where oil is presently shipped by train. senator john hoeven of north dakota says if that line was built, as much as 100,000 barrels a day could be shipped by train as opposed to the riskier route -- actually, by pipeline rather than the riskier route which is by train. back to you. jon: we have reported a lot on this program about the railway verls us pipeline decision that has to be made. doug mckelway, thanks for that. jenna: well, a close call after

this car crashes right through a family's home, narrowly missing a baby in its crib. >> i was asleep and woke up to the sound of a vehicle coming through the bedroom wall, and too big.

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jenna: well, a near disaster for one california family, a car crashing right into their home and narrowly missing a sleeping mother and child. the car pushed the baby's crib aside, coming dangerously close to the mother sleeping on a nearby bed. the mom says she awoke to the shock offer life. of her life. >> i was sleeping, and he fussed once. that's all i heard. but i heard crash and horn of a car and him fuss a little bit, and i went to grab him out. jenna: hey, baby looks all right. very cute baby. the baby was not hurt. the mother was hospitalized just as a precaution. police say the driver was likely speeding when she lost control of the car. jon: ya think? well, right now it's happening again, cdc investigators at the

scene of another cruise ship hit with an outbreak of some sort of stomach bug. it's the second time in a week. the caribbean princess returning to houston with nearly 200 sick passengers. casey steegal has an eye on that live from dallas. casey? >> reporter: hey, jon, good to see you. yeah, the cruise line insists that it returned to port one day early because of weather and not because of the virus itself. they say that there was heavy fog forecasted for the area over the weekend, so that's why they came back a day early. but nonetheless, the thousands and thousands of people on that ship certainly happy to be back on land after the caribbean princess which made its way back to port in houston last night. the vessel alived a lit -- arrived a little after 9:00 local time, but the more than 3100 passengers and 1100 crew members did not disembark until this morning. over the past week 165 people

total got sick from nor provirus -- norovirus, a nasty gastrointestinal illness that is extremely contagious. well, feelings were pretty mixed from people as they got off the ship today, some upset saying their vacation was ruined, others say the crew handled the situation quite well. >> people were confined to the room for three days, we didn't get to enjoy any of the meals, any of the shows. they threatened people, told them if they didn't stay in the room, they would have them put on a navy coast guard ship and brought back to land. it was terrible. >> they took excellent, excellent care. you know, there's nothing they can do when these things happen. >> reporter: boy, what a week it has been for the cruise line industry. another outbreak of illness on another ship, this one aboard a royal caribbean cruise we've been covering all week, the explorer of the seas. it returned to new jersey on

wednesday, also earlier than expected, the trip cut short after nearly 700 people got violently ill, likely from norovirus too. we're told officials at the centers for disease control and prevention are investigating both incidents. for the folks in houston, they were given a 20% discount toward a future cruise for their inconvenience, that is if they want to get on another cruise ship after this, jon. jon: yeah. and you have to wonder how many of them will try that. casey steigel lye from dallas -- live from dallas, thanks. jenna: well, he's accused of the colorado movie theater massacre, and james holmes is back in court today. the breaking details and a live report on that case. plus, the president pushing a new plan to help americans save for retirement. but how does it work exactly, and he really sidestep congress to make it happen? we're going to get the answers from steve moore just ahead. >> i'm going to sign a presidential memorandum that directs the u.s. treasury secretary, jack lew, to create a

new way for working americans to start their own retirement savings, that encourages americans to begin to build a nest egg.

jon: right now mass murder suspect james holmes is back in a colorado courtroom. holmes attending a hearing on whether to allow certain expert witnesses to testify at his upcoming trial. harris faulkner is live from our new york newsroom with an update on that. >> reporter: well, jon, you know, reconstructing a crime scene is pretty routine in forensic science. it's one way detectives say helps them to build a timeline of events, and that's what's at issue here. in the holmes hearing today, the judge is expected to consider whether to allow testimony from some of the forensics experts who worked that scene inside that denver area movie theater.

james holmes is accused of murder and attempted murder after lis say a gunman wearing a gas mask and covered head to toe in body armor opened fire in a crowded theater for a midnight showing of the then-just-released batman movie. twelve people died, more than 70 hurt. holmes' defense team wants the judge to bar evidence about the crime scene reconstruction saying it is unreliable, and so they were set to get going about 26 minutes ago, and we are waiting. now, this one is open to the public. james holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. and, again, this one's open to the public and the media. i say that because earlier this week they held a closed hearing to decide if holmes should get a second psychiatric evaluation. so this is ongoing now. if something pops in the next 30 minutes, i'll update you. jon: please get back to us. harris, thanks. jenna: the president's new retirement savings plan is

called myra as outlined in the state of the union address earlier this week, and he reemphasized this on the road. >> i will direct the treasury to create a new way for working americans to start their own retirement savings. and we're calling it my-ra. not ira, my-ra. and it's, what it is is, it's a new type of savings bond that we can set up without legislation that encourages americans to begin to build a nest egg. and it's simple. jenna: so what are the details of this, and does the president really have the authority to put this plan into action without the legislation like he just said in his speech there? steve moore is chief economist at the heritage foundation and a fox news contributor. steve, let's just start with the first question of what exactly is this? what would this provide to americans that is not already out there for us to use and to save? >> well, jenna, so far there's more questions than answers as

all of us try to figure out exactly how this new savings vehicle would work. let me start by saying i agree with the president that it would be a good thing to give lower income americans and middle class americans more vehicles to save without being double taxed on those savings through an ira type of vehicle. so i think the cop sent makes a -- concept makes a lot of sense. first of all, if you have an income over $190,000, you wouldn't be eligible for this, so people with incomes below 190. the other thing, jenna, is that you would have to actually put your money into a bond fund, a government bond fund. and as you know, bonds are only returning about 2% right now. so you're not going to get a real high return on that. of course, the other big question is, does the president have the universe, you know, the authority to do this unilaterally? jenna: and does he, steve? >> that question still isn't answered. as i look at the facts and i look at how this program would work, jenna, i'm not so sure he

does, because i think this would require a change in tax laws. if you're going to make people eligible for a new ira that is not taxed, it looks to me like you have to get legislation, jenna, from congress to change the tax laws to allow this to happen. jenna: steve, would you be for that? we've talked a little bit about tax reform, and this would be be minor, but would you be for a change in the tax code so this would be available? >> yeah. look, i believe that anytime you save money, you shouldn't be taxed on it twice. right now, jenna, you're taxed on the money when you earn it, and then the buildup if you earn interest on a savings account, you also have to pay tax on that. so i agree with the president on this. in fact, i would expand it. i would allow lower and middle income people to take some of their payroll tax dollars and put that into a savings account. so that would make a lot of sense. look, america is a society where we have instant gratification. we spend troop, and we save too little. these kinds of tax incentives, i think, would help. the president's on the right course. i would not require people only

to invest in bond funds because you wouldn't accumulate that much money in the account. jenna: so that comes to a bigger question, because one of the leaders of this idea apparently in the treasury department described it as training wheels to kind of get people used to safing. >> right. jenna: i guess the question that's even bigger is whether or not the government is the right mode for that, whether or not the government should change, uncle sam is the one that should change our behavior or whether or not it has to come from a different source so that we actually l do become a nation of savers. >> well, we have to change our whole culture and how we look at spending and saving, no question, jenna. but it is true it really discourages people from safing. let's not forget, this is the same president a year or two ago who wanted to tax the buildup in iras, so this looks like this could be a big bait and switch where you ask people to put money into the accounts and you tell them you're not going to tax the accounts, and a later

congress could tax it again. jenna: oh, that's interesting. and a question about income levels as well, who has the accessibility to it and who does not, how do you draw the line there. steve, do you have a piggybank at home? [laughter] >> well, you know, with 2% interest on bonds, you're almost better off. let people put money in stocks. the president talks about income inequality and only rich people making money on the stock market, let some of these people put money in stocks. jenna: a lot of people do that lu their 401(k)s, and they're not available to everyone in the country, so maybe that's one of the reasons behind this. steve, great to see you as always. >> okay, jenna lee. jon: the nation's debt is up 63% -- jenna: so you're saying we could use one of those. jon: and he's telling americans to save more, be more frugal. the big apple ready for the big game. rick leventhal is louvre on super bowl boulevard -- live on super bowl boulevard right down the block from us here in manhattan. >> reporter: jon, crowds getting thicker here on the

great white way as new york and new jersey hope to cash in on the big game, but has the economic impact been exaggerated? we'll have that story coming up right after this. ♪ ♪ i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80%

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jon: right now the first round of pee talks to end the civil war in syria ends in geneva without much progress. the assad government not even committing to return to more negotiations next month. this as key western governments and syrian opposition leaders

tell fox news president assad actually could be cooperating with thousands of islamist fighters who have joined the war against him. greg talcott live in london with more on that. >> reporter: jon, in the words of syria's foreign minister today, there is no moderate opposition in the country, there are only terrorist organizations. now, that could be debated. but we can confirm there is a growing and new body of evidence that the regime of bashar al assad could be colluding with the very al-qaeda-linked militant it claims it is fighting. two radical islamist groups control vast oil fields in the eastern part of that country. officials and experts in the field tell fox news that the energy-strapped damascus government is buying some of their oil, and in this way it is helping to fund at least indirectly those militant organizations. there are reports that tanker trucks of militants are being allowed across front lines and militant positions are being spared attacks with the aim of preserving vital energy sources.

now, the bashar al assad regime denies these charges. in our fox news interview last fall, the syrian president rejected the idea that by turning down peaceful calls for change, he has allowed al-qaeda to flourish. they also note they're often the target of terror attacks themselves. now, experts do say that a possible damascus/al-qaeda alliance could serve purposes in other ways. we have seen bitter in-fighting between moderate rebels and islamists, and it helps assad foster than anti-terror their ty. now, those yes thee v.a -- geneva talks are tentatively set to resume in ten days, there appears to be no pause with building up the ranks of al-qaeda in that country. jon: greg talcott, thanks. jenna: msnbc in apology mode after an offensive message was posted on twitter attacking the right over a biracial ad for cheerios. joining me now, howard kurtz,

fox news media analyst. howard, there may be those outside the media world that missed it this week, so what really is the story when it comes to this tweet? >> well, this was an outrageous and just really disgusting message posted on the official msnbc twitter account which took a shot at this biracial ad, very nice super bowl commercial involving this biracial family who happens to like cheerios saying, well, you know, the right wing will hate it, but everyone else will say, ah, what a nice family. well, there was this eruption on twitter, jenna, it was really nice, the one silver lining here is that a lot of biracial families who happen to be conservative posted pictures of themselves and not only criticized msnbc, but kind of fought the hate with love in making the point that people who come from these kinds of families or form these kinds of families have all kinds of political views. jenna: you've covered a lot of media controversies, what do you think of the response from msnbc to this tweet?

>> you do have to credit the president, phil griffin, with, one, apologizing, two, saying it was unacceptable, and, three, firing the unnamed staffer involved. but at the same time, given the string of recent controversies at msnbc which have resulted in a couple of other dismissals, you do have to wonder about the culture and whether there's such a loathing for conservatives that things that so clearly way, way, way over the line are somehow deemed acceptable. it was only a few weeks ago that melissa francis perry, a host on msnbc, herself had to apologize for leading a segment with her panel in which they mocked mitt romney's adopted black grandson. jenna: interesting. i took a look at the twitter page, and it doesn't seem like that's the norm for them, so it'll be interesting to see where it goes from here. just real quick, howard, i'm just curious because now we're in this age where one tweet, can it represent an entire media company? i'm just curious what you think about that and whether or not you on the side twitter is good

for the news or whether or not, you know, maybe there's some negatives here, and the question about where it really fits in when it comes to hard news coverage. >> well, twitter is great for the news, but it can also be a ticking time bomb. and, yes, we shouldn't target everybody at msnbc. a lot of good journalists work there who do find these views ab hospitaller. but if you give -- abhorrent, but if you give somebody the power to speak for your network on twitter and everything gets retweeted and goes viral as happened in this instance, you're putting your reputation on the line, so companies have to be careful about who peek speaks on their behalf. jenna: and, howard, i'm impressed, 129,000 twitter followers. >> it's a heavy responsibility to keep them entertained. [laughter] jenna: it really is. you're good, howard. howard, thank you very much. i know you've got a big show coming up sunday. just want to mention it as well, howard will talk with former nfl great michael strahan and erin andrews about the controversy surrounding richard sherman

right in time for the super bowl. richard sherman's been in the media in the days leading up to the big game, he had the rant that went viral, so some great interviews on sunday right before, right before the super bowl. howard, thank you. >> great to see you, jenna. ♪ ♪ jon: well, the battle for a super bowl victory extends far beyond the gridiron. lots of tourist dollars are up for grabs as big game draws hundreds of thousands of football fans to the new york city area. the economic impact already creating some winners and maybe some losers as well. rick leventhal is live from times square in the heart of manhattan. rick? >> reporter: and, jon, it really depends on who you talk to. we've heard from some merchants in times square already complaining about super bowl boulevard behind us, saying they're losing, not winning, because of the traffic and congestion from the closed streets, and we've heard from some hotels that are seeing cancellations due to weather and other reasons and cutting rates

because they say they have so many rooms, and they're not sold out with super bowl weekend upon us. plenty of people, of course, are making money in large part because of advertisers who are spending money. new york city and new jersey and the region will benefit thanks in large part to the nfl and its corporate partners. >> the national football league has a big foot print in times square which is called super bowl boulevard engineered by gmc. in addition to that, our partners are activating on their own in unique places throughout the city -- bryant park, radio city, west side highway with the bud light hotel -- the economic impact on that is big because it's not just with the national football league, it's with the city and the region as well. >> reporter: we have heard some complaints from across the river as well. of course, the game is being played in new jersey, but most of the super bowl-related events are being held in manhattan. a spokesman for the meadowlands regional chamber says he knows of dozens of restaurants already booked to capacity, and he says

they're doing well. he says these venues wouldn't otherwise sell out for the big game. >> on february 2nd on any given year there's not a whole lot happening here in the meadowlands, and so to fill restaurants and hotels and retail stores with all this activity and for us to be able to showcase the new jersey meadowlands and new jersey and leverage the fact that super bowl is in town is just phenomenal for us. >> reporter: the nfl host committee has estimated there could be $500-$600 million in benefits to new york and new jersey, some economists suggest a more modest $125 million, jon. jon: we'll take it here in new york. rick leventhal, thank you. jenna: a key player on the broncos' offense, a favorite, i believe -- jon: i love wes welker. jenna: he has a new piece of head gear that he's going to be wearing for the super bowl. will it keep him safe, and what does it mean for thousands of young players and pros that are

worried about concussions? dr. david samadi weighs in just ahead. >> walking, talking -- alisyn: are we live right now? bill: chewing gum. hear there's a big game this weekend. alisyn: oh, really, what game? bill: what are you talking about? alisyn: nancy pelosi was on the daily show last night. she talked about the tea party. we'll debate what she said. what are you talking about? bill: keystone pipeline, state department. big decision coming out any moment now. alisyn: i kind of like you live. bill: there's a game this weekend, ali. alisyn: tell me more about that at the top of the hour. see you then. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!

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and now he's wearing a different helmet. the one on the left is the ricks r riedel revolutionary speed, on the right is the 360, and it's easy to see the difference between the two. the question is whether or not it makes a difference physiologically for a player if they wear a bigger helmet. dr. david samadi is here, we're oversimplifying, but do you think it's safer? >> well, this is one size bigger than what it was before, and probably some padding inside. but, look, concussion's a serious problem, and i think a lot of people may or may not take it serious si. he just had a concussion not too long ago. obviously, super bowl you're not going to sit out, so i think he's protecting himself, and there's probably some padding inside. but look at this industry. if you look at, like, the last 50 years, a lot of things have happened from inside. they change it from foam to gel to more paddings, air bags even inside. but not many much has happened, look at it, not much has happened on the outside. and so there are some

anti-concussion helmets coming up in the pipeline, but, of course, it's not going to be ready for this weekend. this is the way that he's going to protect himself. what i want people to know is that the bigger size is not always better because you're going to have that bobblehead kind of effect. it may throw him off his balance -- jenna: right, the weight could be different. there are those who think it's less about the gear and more about how players use their bodies, how they actually hit. i mean, when you're playing the game of football, which is a rough and tough game -- >> you bet. jenna: -- i mean, how much does the helmet matter whatever sort of design it is? >> so i think your point is well taken. the impact factor and the backlash on the brain and this brain moving forward and back is what causes that kind of damage. and long term something called chronic traumatic enreceive lop think, big name for future dimension shah, memory loss. so this repeated impact, jenna, is what you're worried about. the helmet itself plays a role, but it's not going to be

everything. these helmets kind of gives the impact, distributes it equally around the brain. that's not so good. for our kids, the new one, this guardian cap, i like it a lot because it has about 37 foams on the outside. so it has the padding inside, but it also has it on the outside. jenna: guardian cap. >> that's a great one for kids because it's not heavier, it's not much bigger, but each one of those foams can absorb the force and not distribute it allover the brain. so that's a big advancement. and i think in the future we're probably going to see some more of these anticoncussion helmets in the pipeline. for now i wish both parties -- jenna: that's very balanced of you. you know jon is a broncos fan. we're a little partial. [laughter] dr. samadi, thank you very much. jon: we're rooting for wes welker in particular. jenna: that's right. >> easy on those pizzas. jon: speaking of the super bowl, we are sure to see pregame rituals leading up to sunday.

diehard fans doing anything they can to help their team winker even praying for victory -- to for their team to win. even praying. up next a look at faith andt' football. ♪e ♪yo that's not much, you think except it's 2 peent every year. go to e*trade and find out how much our advice and guidance costs. spoiler alert. it's low. it's guidance on your terms not ours. e*trade. less for us, more for you. you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®. ... ... ... ... ...

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jon: no doubt there will be a lot of fans praying for victory on sunday when the seattle seahawks take on my denver broncos in the super bowl. a new survey shows more than half of all football fans believe supernatural force toes are at play in -- forces are at play in sports. lauren green is live in from new york with more. >> reporter: yeah, jon, you better listen up. tim tebow has plenty of company when it comes to calling on a higher power to pull out a victory. fans have plenty of faith when it comes to football, whether it's praying for a hail mary

pass or wearing a favorite be jersey, football fans are some of the most superstitious. according to a recent survey by the public religion institute, more than half of football fans believe supernatural forces control the game and often they lead for heavenly intervention. >> it is a high number to say that, you know, more than half, 55% of football fans in the country see the supernatural at play in the outcome of sporting events and one way or another. so either seeing -- believing that their team has been cursed in some way, praying for god to help their team win or just seeing the divine at work. >> reporter: you know, the survey finds that 33% pray for god to help the team, 31% say some teams are just cursed, and 25% of fans perform some kind of pregame ritual. >> one fan, for example, told us he puts on histity underwear on top of his pants, then puts on

his jersey. another man takes all his money out of his wallet, puts his in his front left-hand pocket. >> reporter: do you do any rituals to ensure your team wins? >> yeah, sit in the same spot on the sofa all the time. >> will not eat until it's over. >> reporter: among all professional sports, football fans are more likely to invoke prayer or game rituals to help their team win, so, jon, maybe that's the key. jon: it's only weird if it doesn't work, so says the advertising. [laughter] lauren green, thank you. >> reporter: sure, thank you. jon: and we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ (bag shaking) (vo) bring the thrill the catch...

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whether my team wins or the other time wins. >> our team. >> she is from san francisco but pulling for the broncos. >> you have to prepare for these. i did an important thing, i bought's nice block of velvet

and you have a queso recipe. >> your husband is from texas. >> thank you for joining and you say enjoy your weekend. america's new's headquarters starts right now. fox nows alert now. the state department about to release the long of awaited report on the key stone pipeline. i am bill hemmer. >> and i am alisyn camerota. what will the state department. we'll get more from gen. gen, great to see you, what will the state department concluded in the long- awaited report. >> the bus is that there is nothing environment willy imperfect and they can go ahead and that will toss the ball back to the president who will have 90 days to decide to go